Originally Posted by
aswelch
You couldn't have misread this play more. Titus Andronicus is a play about many things. It is not, however, a play that discounts human life. It does, however, subbordinate life to loyalty to Rome. Titus is a very traditional and loyal character. All of his decisions in the first act are based upon precedent, tradition, and Roman law. This is why he sacrafices the eldest son of the Goths (starting the cycle of revenge that drives this play), Why he gives the crown to Saturninus (the eldest and rightful heir to the throne by law, tradition, and precedent) why he gives Lavinia to the Emperor (Loyalty to the state before the family), and why he slays his son Mutius (for dishonoring him in Rome, an incredibly Patriarchial society). This tension between the loyalty to Rome (which is incredibly corrupt and undeserving of Titus' loyalty) that leads to Titus' descent into "madness" (as some argue) which leads him to the search for Justice (shooting the arrows into the sky, fishing in the sea, drilling into the earth) and leads him to realize that Justice is "not on earth". This is why Tamora dresses as revenge (which Titus of course sees through, one reason I don't agree with madness). Titus can only be revenged becasue there is no Justice to be had in the corrupt state of Rome. His revenge is the death of the remaining sons (as all but one of his sons are dead) and the feeding of them to the basely evil mother who has caused his family so much pain. He kills her, Saturninus kills him for her, and Lucius kills Saturninus for the death of his father. This is not the devaluing of human life. This is an elaborate cycle of revenge that can only really end with the death of everyone involved BECAUSE there is no justice in a corrupt state. (the state is corrupt because an emperor who only cares about himself is allowing himself to be lead by his wife, Tamora, former Queen of Goths, who only wants to revenge herself on Titus for making her "kneel in the streets and beg". Ultimately it cannot be said that this devalues life because Aarons child is left alive. If there was a devaluing of life then he would be killed.